War? Famine? There are thousands of ways in which we struggle. But what about the invisible dangers that lurk on every corner of this planet? I'm referring to infectious diseases which we constantly battle, day in and day out. You don't know when they'll get you and when they do they can be deadly. The Bubonic Plague, the Spanish Flu and Smallpox, these diseases have changed the way people think about microbes. Advances in biology and medicine have led to a revolution of antimicrobial compounds and vaccine design. We have already defeated smallpox and are on the cusp of eliminating and preventing dozens more. Here I explore some interesting and dynamic resources that teachers and students can use to learn more about how our immune system works, how microbes get past it and how we can ultimately win the war with vaccines.
Text Based Informational
This is the World Health Organization website. It contains an abundance of infromation about vaccines including important statistics, facts and figures. Additionally it details Edward Jenners Cowpox experiment in 1796 and covers the smallpox eradication project in the 1970's. The site also contains information on new emerging infectious diseases and current topics on infectious diseases.
FLESCH Grade Level 9.6-14.2
Here is the CDC website which contains information on new emerging infectious diseases, Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs), current topics on various diseases, HIV/AIDS information.
FLESCH Grade Level 9.4-15.3
This PDF includes strategies and topics for teaching immunology. It includes lesson activities and information on HIV, basic immunology, vaccine development and the immune response.
FLESCH Grade Level 9.4-12.3
This site is a resource encyclopedia for biology teachers. It has a huge collection of information, lesson plan ideas, other contributers(NOAA, NASA, USDA, EPA). From biotech to ecology and everything in between, this site has it all.
FLESCH Grade Level 14.1
Another giant collection of teaching resources for biology teachers. This site has everything you need to know about genetics, ecology,evolution, cell biology, anatomy and physiology, immunology and infectious diseases and how to tie them into your lessons. Great resource for teachers.
FLESCH Grade Level 8.6-14.9
Websites
Here is a TED talk on strategies for designing vaccines for HIV and the flu. It covers basic structure of the HIV and flu virus and how to target certain surface proteins when designing a vaccine.
The National Institute of Health, specifically the NIAID has a wealth of information on infectious diseases including mutliple videos like this one called "get the (antigenic) drift" a video on antigenic drift in the influenza virus
The American Society of Microbiology has their own YouTube channel called MicrobeWorld, both of which contain excellent information about the microbes in our world, both good and bad. A great resource for teachers and students alike.
The Annenberg Learner includes resources for every teacher, but also contains an entire unit called "Unseen Life on Earth, an Introduction to Microbiology" which contains over a dozen movies covering everything from microbial evolution and ecology to microbial control and the immune response.
This is the federal AIDS website which contains everything from the basics of HIV/AIDS to in depth research topics on new potential antiviral compounds or vaccine candidates. The large amount of information and the range of topics makes this site ideal for both teachers and students.
FLESCH Grade Level 8.2-15.6
Other Helpful Resources
The History of Vaccines is a great resource for students just being introduced to vaccines. The site includes an interactive timeline that students can scroll through to discover advances in immunology and infectious disease research. It also includes fun games for educators and students, it covers how vaccines are made and why they work.
BrainPOP includes animated videos and basic information on infectious diseases and the immune system which is delivered in a student friendly manner.
PBS learning contains hundreds of videos, activities and other useful resources for any science teacher.
Google Docs. Great for sharing documents with your class. Students can also form groups to work on collaborative projects
Survey Monkey is a useful survey site that teachers can use for their students. Teachers can use this to introduce material, address misconceptions or as a formative assessment
What is human survival?
War? Famine? There are thousands of ways in which we struggle. But what about the invisible dangers that lurk on every corner of this planet? I'm referring to infectious diseases which we constantly battle, day in and day out. You don't know when they'll get you and when they do they can be deadly. The Bubonic Plague, the Spanish Flu and Smallpox, these diseases have changed the way people think about microbes. Advances in biology and medicine have led to a revolution of antimicrobial compounds and vaccine design. We have already defeated smallpox and are on the cusp of eliminating and preventing dozens more. Here I explore some interesting and dynamic resources that teachers and students can use to learn more about how our immune system works, how microbes get past it and how we can ultimately win the war with vaccines.
Text Based Informational
This is the World Health Organization website. It contains an abundance of infromation about vaccines including important statistics, facts and figures. Additionally it details Edward Jenners Cowpox experiment in 1796 and covers the smallpox eradication project in the 1970's. The site also contains information on new emerging infectious diseases and current topics on infectious diseases.
FLESCH Grade Level 9.6-14.2
Here is the CDC website which contains information on new emerging infectious diseases, Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs), current topics on various diseases, HIV/AIDS information.
FLESCH Grade Level 9.4-15.3
This PDF includes strategies and topics for teaching immunology. It includes lesson activities and information on HIV, basic immunology, vaccine development and the immune response.
FLESCH Grade Level 9.4-12.3
This site is a resource encyclopedia for biology teachers. It has a huge collection of information, lesson plan ideas, other contributers(NOAA, NASA, USDA, EPA). From biotech to ecology and everything in between, this site has it all.
FLESCH Grade Level 14.1
Another giant collection of teaching resources for biology teachers. This site has everything you need to know about genetics, ecology,evolution, cell biology, anatomy and physiology, immunology and infectious diseases and how to tie them into your lessons. Great resource for teachers.
FLESCH Grade Level 8.6-14.9
Websites
Here is a TED talk on strategies for designing vaccines for HIV and the flu. It covers basic structure of the HIV and flu virus and how to target certain surface proteins when designing a vaccine.
The National Institute of Health, specifically the NIAID has a wealth of information on infectious diseases including mutliple videos like this one called "get the (antigenic) drift" a video on antigenic drift in the influenza virus
The American Society of Microbiology has their own YouTube channel called MicrobeWorld, both of which contain excellent information about the microbes in our world, both good and bad. A great resource for teachers and students alike.
The Annenberg Learner includes resources for every teacher, but also contains an entire unit called "Unseen Life on Earth, an Introduction to Microbiology" which contains over a dozen movies covering everything from microbial evolution and ecology to microbial control and the immune response.
This is the federal AIDS website which contains everything from the basics of HIV/AIDS to in depth research topics on new potential antiviral compounds or vaccine candidates. The large amount of information and the range of topics makes this site ideal for both teachers and students.
FLESCH Grade Level 8.2-15.6
Other Helpful Resources
The History of Vaccines is a great resource for students just being introduced to vaccines. The site includes an interactive timeline that students can scroll through to discover advances in immunology and infectious disease research. It also includes fun games for educators and students, it covers how vaccines are made and why they work.
BrainPOP includes animated videos and basic information on infectious diseases and the immune system which is delivered in a student friendly manner.
PBS learning contains hundreds of videos, activities and other useful resources for any science teacher.
Google Docs. Great for sharing documents with your class. Students can also form groups to work on collaborative projects
Survey Monkey is a useful survey site that teachers can use for their students. Teachers can use this to introduce material, address misconceptions or as a formative assessment